Forts Can Be Fun
by OrionsBeltloops
Summary: Craig builds a fort. Clyde questions his sanity. Fluffy times ensue.


Disclaimer: Don't own any of the following. Except for the plot. Which may or may not also be pre-owned. Screw it, I don't own anything. Matt and Trey have dibs.

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Clyde wasn't exactly a thoughtful child. One reason why he thought nothing of it as his friend sprinted up to him, the ear flaps of his hat flopping around and making him look stupid. It was a laugh-worthy moment, but the serious look on his friend's face told him he'd better save his giggles for a later time.

"Dude, you busy?" Craig asked after stopping to catch his breath.

Clyde just glanced around him in all directions before finally letting his eyes rest on his friend. Craig's anxious glance was met with a blank stare.

"No."

"Good. I got something to show you."

Without waiting for a response, Craig grabbed Clyde by the forearm and, literally, dragged him down the street.

Clyde didn't know what he was in for or where he was going. Needless to say, he was nervous. Especially considering Craig had never wanted to show him something so badly before. Not to mention Clyde's extreme discomfort at being pulled so forcefully to their destination, which would, hopefully, be revealed soon. Finally the duo came to a stop at their most anti-climactic destination: Craig's house.

"Dude, why'd you bring me here? I have homework," Clyde whined, yanking his captive wrist back down to his side.

"Too bad. I asked if you were busy." Craig lazily shrugged his shoulders then walked up to his front door, only to stop with his hand half raised to the doorknob. He turned his piercing gaze back to his friend.

"You coming?"

"Uhh…yeah."

Clyde reluctantly followed Craig into the house and upstairs to his room, where Craig stood with his hand again poised on the doorknob, albeit this time a little more dramatically.

"Well?" Clyde wasn't exactly a patient child either, and he was already getting fed up with Craig. The kid was making him antsy.

"Okay," Craig mumbled before flinging his door open to reveal…

_a fort._

Well, not _a _fort, but rather, a series of forts made out of various cushions, sheets, and clothes.

And Craig looked so proud of himself. What was he, seven? Okay, so he wasn't exactly an adult yet, but _still. _By Craig's standards, this was pretty immature.

"So? What do you think?" Craig turned a bright-eyed gaze on Clyde.

Clyde was at a severe loss for words. His friend's extremely out-of-character behavior was nothing short of disturbing, and the hopeful look on Craig's face was starting to get to him.

"Well, it's nice. But, what's it for?"

Craig's eyes lit up more than before, if that was possible, as he grabbed Clyde's wrist, lightly this time, and led him to a gap in the sheets.

The two boys slithered through the opening and sat down on the floor, Clyde a little more hesitantly than Craig.

"You haven't answered my question," Clyde said softly after a few minutes of awkward silence.

"Hmm? What question?" Craig wasn't looking at Clyde. He was staring off in all different directions. He looked sort of like he was day-dreaming, but Clyde couldn't tell. He wasn't thoughtful, remember?

"What's the fort for?" Clyde repeated, trying really hard to figure out what Craig was looking at. He even tried tilting his head to the side, but all he could see was the sheet hanging in front of him.

"Escape," Craig whispered. The word was said so quietly, Clyde almost didn't catch it.

"Huh?" Clyde was more than a little confused. The abrupt change in mood and the tone of Craig's voice made Clyde worry a bit. Craig still wasn't looking at him, and that unnerved Clyde. He thought about patting his shoulder or something but figured that might end awkwardly.

Clyde cleared his throat quietly to break the silence, and as soon as he did, Craig seemed to snap out of some reverie. He turned his head and looked at Clyde for a few minutes. Clyde just fidgeted under his stare, feeling even more awkward than before. What was wrong with Craig?

"What?" Clyde finally asked, just wanting Craig to look away already.

Craig blinked slowly before lowering his head and resting it on his drawn up knees.

"Nothing," Craig mumbled into his knees. Clyde could barely hear him and had to lean in a little to understand what he was saying.

"Dude, are you okay?" Clyde was getting a little worried now. This Craig was far different from the happy, excited Craig he had been when he first showed up. Maybe he was bipolar?

Craig just moved his shoulders up and down slowly. He didn't move his head an inch.

Okay, Clyde was really worried now. A lot of thoughts were running through his head. He could comfort Craig, but he was terrible at that sort of thing. OR he could leave. He glanced at Craig then at the opening in the sheets. Hell, what kind of friend would he be if he just left Craig in this state?

"Craig?" Clyde said slowly, moving over to sit himself down next to Craig. He lifted his hand and gently placed it on his friend's shoulder. That's where he got stuck. That was as far as his 'comforting' went. Comforting just wasn't something he did well.

Craig turned his head slightly, just enough to be able to look at Clyde. He stayed silent.

Clyde stared back at him. He had NO clue what to do now. Craig just looked sad. Clyde had no idea why, and he was afraid to ask. He settled for squeezing Craig's shoulder before letting his hand fall back to his side.

Craig finally lifted his head a little and looked at Clyde for a few moments. The sad look was gone, but something was still off. Clyde couldn't quite put a finger on it.

Craig blinked a few times before letting a small smile form on his face. As soon as it was there, it was gone, and Clyde almost thought that he had been seeing things. Smiling just wasn't something Craig did often.

Clyde figured he ought to smile back, so he did just that, trying to keep it as brief as Craig's. Craig smiled at him again before lowering his head back down to his knees.

To tell the truth, Clyde was a little weirded out by the smiling. He had known Craig practically his whole life, and the kid _never _smiled. As far as Clyde knew, he never built forts and got excited about stuff either, but there was always a first time for everything, right?

Craig lifted his head again and just looked off at the opposite side of the fort. Clyde didn't know what to say and kept glancing back at the opening. It was looking more inviting by the second.

"Soo…What did you mean earlier?" Clyde asked slowly for no other reason than to have something to do. Why didn't he just leave? Oh yeah, because he was a good friend.

"About what?" Craig was still staring at the same spot like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"About what this fort was for. You said it was for escape," Clyde said the last word quietly, afraid of opening old wounds. He wasn't sure if Craig would get upset again.

"Oh. I was just being stupid. Ignore me." Craig said it simply, but Clyde didn't believe him. He didn't sound like he believed himself.

"Dude, come on. I know you're lying." Clyde kept looking at Craig waiting for an answer. Why did he feel so awkward here?

Craig finally looked at him again and shrugged. Clyde just stared. He wasn't sure if Craig was intentionally trying to be annoying, but Clyde was ready to just leave.

"Nobody knows about this place. Well, except for you and me," Craig finally said after straightening out his legs. He kept fidgeting and moving his arms around, almost like he didn't know what to do with them. He finally settled on clasping his hands in his lap. Clyde just looked at them for a few seconds before looking up.

"And?" Clyde wasn't sure what else to say to Craig's statement.

"Well, that makes me happy. You know, being able to have a place that no one else knows about. I can choose who to tell and who to keep it a secret from." Craig frowned a little before looking back down at his hands. "And I chose to tell you…"

Clyde dropped his gaze back down to Craig's hands. He stared at them for a while before looking up to meet Craig's gaze. He looked away quickly, slightly startled and embarrassed.

"So…" Clyde felt more and more stupid by the second. He was running out of things to say, and it seemed as if his vocabulary had been reduced to that of a three-year-old.

The room got awkwardly silent again, so much so, that Clyde practically jumped out of his skin when Craig laughed. The laugh wasn't menacing or anything, but Craig was really starting to freak Clyde out all the same. He should have left when he had the chance.

Craig eventually calmed himself down and looked back to Clyde. He was full-on smiling now, and Clyde wasn't sure if he should be scared or happy.

He didn't have too much time to think about it before Craig got on his knees and wrapped his arms around his neck. If he was freaked out before, it was nothing compared to now. Craig didn't smile, and he certainly never hugged anyone. THAT Clyde was sure of.

Clyde felt even more awkward now. He didn't know what to do with his hands or if he should even do anything. He could feel Craig's breath on the back of his neck, and it made him feel weird. He finally decided to hug back when he realized that Craig wasn't gonna let go anytime soon.

He rubbed Craig's back awkwardly, not sure of what else he should do. He could hear Craig snort softly before grabbing Clyde's shoulders and pushing him back.

"Um," Clyde laughed nervously. Craig still had his hands on his shoulders. The grin on his face was a little odd too. Clyde looked down at the floor to hide his embarrassment.

Craig just laughed again before leaning in and pressing a small kiss on Clyde's cheek. Clyde looked up at him, and smiled back. He still felt awkward, but the idea of leaving didn't seem so essential now. They _were_ the only two who knew about this place, at least in Craig's words, they were.

They might as well make some use of it.

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A/N: To play cards you pervs! No, kidding. Take that ending how you want to. Anyway, I had this uploaded on devart since forever, so I figured I might as well put it on here. I've actually been out of this fandom for a long time, and I'm starting to miss it.

Nostalgia aside, I don't know how happy I am with this. I think I was bipolar when I wrote this and just projected my bipolarness onto Craig. Poor Craig.

Anyway, R&R please.


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